Pre-Physician Assistant

Mercer University undergraduate students who plan to pursue a career as a physician assistant are considered to be on the "pre-physician assistant" or "pre-PA" track. Pre-PA is not an academic major; students on the pre-PA track must declare and work towards an academic major and minor>> as they fulfill the admission requirements for their preferred PA graduate program(s) - at least as a back-up plan.

Pre-physician assistant students may choose one of three paths as they prepare themselves for graduate school:

Students may earn a bachelor’s degree as they fulfill the prerequisites for the PA program of their choice;

Students may fulfill only the minimum requirements for the PA school of their choice before matriculation into that graduate program (while most PA programs require a bachelor's degree before matriculation, some do not).

Students should note that the prerequisite for all introductory science courses (chemistry, biology, and physics) is "calculus-readiness" (competency in mathematics at or above the pre-calculus level). Students planning on following a pre-health professions track are therefore advised to take mathematics in high school at least through the pre-calculus level.